The untapped potential of IT chargeback

Cover title. "May 1997."Includes bibliographical references (p. 24-25).Jeanne W. Ross, Michael R. Vitale, Cynthia M. Beath

A Review of the Literature on the Empathy Construct Using Cluster Analysis

Empathy plays a central role in human behavior and is a key aspect of social functioning. The extensive research on the empathy construct in fields such as psychology, social work, and education has revealed many positive aspects of empathy. Through the use of cluster analysis, this research takes a new approach to reviewing the literature on empathy and objectively identifies groups of empathy research. Next, this study relates the information systems (IS) discipline’s focus on empathy research through the projection of IS empathy paragraphs into those clusters, and identifies areas of empathy research that are currently being largely overlooked by the IS field. The use of cluster analysis and projection for conducting a literature review provides researchers with a more objective approach for reviewing relevant literature

CHARGEBACK SYSTEMS AND USER INVOLVEMENT IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Computer chargeback systems are installed to meet various data processing objectives. One objective is to increase user involvement in decisions regarding information systems development and use. Presumably, increasing user involvement will result in more effective information systems. In a field study we examine the relationship between various characteristics of a computer chargeback system, the quality of the chargeback system's user interface, user involvement and user attitudes about information systems services. Suggestions are given both for the practicing information systems manager and for future information systems researchers.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Padrão de evolução da função SI nos serviços de informática de grande dimensão da Administração Pública Portuguesa

A função Sistemas de Informação (SI) tem como preocupação gerir o recurso informação e o modo como esta informação é recolhida, armazenada, processada e distribuída na organização, pelo que é responsável pela gestão do recurso informação e do sistema de informação da organização. A evolução da função SI é largamente influenciada pelas Tecnologias de Informação (TI) e pelo modo como as mesmas são utilizadas e geridas dentro da organização. O conhecimento dos factores que influenciam a evolução da função SI e do padrão que caracteriza tal crescimento, permitirá às organizações situarem-se elas próprias no contexto dos padrões de comportamento relativos às técnicas de gestão da função SI, permitindo-lhes conhecer de onde vêm e para onde se dirigem neste domínio. O modelo dos estádios de crescimento de Nolan é utilizado neste estudo para analisar a evolução ocorrida pela função SI, entre 1990 e 1994, nos Serviços de Informática de Grande Dimensão da Administração Pública Portuguesa. A revisão dos indicadores de maturidade propostos por Nolan, conduziu ao desenvolvimento de uma grelha de classificação, baseada nos conceitos de maturidade associados a cada estádio, cujo objectivo é posicionar uma organização no estádio de crescimento que representa a evolução conseguida pela função SI. Com o posicionamento conseguido para as organizações nos diferentes estádios e o estudo das correlações entre os mesmos, valida-se a aplicabilidade do modelo de Nolan como instrumento de avaliação do estádio de desenvolvimento da função SI no meio organizacional estudado. Os resultados obtidos permitem ainda, legitimar a grelha de classificação utilizada neste trabalho para medir tal evolução.The Information Systems (IS) function is concerned with the management of the information resource and the management of an organization information system. The evolution of the IS function is largely influenced by the evolution of Information Technology (IT) and by the way this technology is used by organization. Being aware of the factors that influence the evolution of the IS function and the pattern which characterize that evolution, organizations will be able of controlling the evolution of their IS function. This work addresses the evolution of the IS function in organizations. The theoretical framework provided by Nolan’s stage of growth model is used to study the evolution of large dimension Informatics Services within Portuguese Public Administration institutions. The benchmarks proposed by Nolan were revised and used to develop a classification grid and a questionnaire which was used to carry out a survey within Portuguese Public Administration institutions. The results of the survey are twofold: (i) the validation of the classification grid as a research instrument; and (ii) the validation of the applicability of Nolan’s model to the organizations that have been surveyed

Defining the Information Security Posture: An Empirical Examination of Structure, Integration, and Managerial Effectiveness

The discipline of information security management is still in its infancy as evidenced by the lack of empirical scholarly work in this area. Most research within the information security domain focuses on specific technologies and algorithms and how it impacts the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. But, an important area receiving little attention is the antecedents of effective information security management at the organizational level (Stanton, Guzman, Stam & Caldera, 2003). The little empirical research that has been conducted in this area has shown that information security management in many organizations is poor (Baskerville, 1993; Shimeall & McDermott, 1999). Several researchers have identified the need for methods to measure the organization-wide information security posture of organizations (Eloff & Von Solms, 2000; James, 1996). This dissertation attempts to measure the organization-wide information security posture by examining benchmark variables that assess role, planning orientation, and performance structure within the organization. Through this conceptualization of an organization's information security posture, a means is presented to measure overall information security and how it impacts the effective utilization of information security strategies. The presence of the dependent variable, effectiveness, gives academics and practitioners a success measure which can guide more effective decision making in the information security domain. An additional aim of this dissertation is to empirically examine the influence of management practices and decisions on effective use of information security strategies within the organization. The issues of centralization versus decentralization of information security activities will be evaluated along with its impact on information security posture of organizations and the effectiveness of the organization's information security strategies. Data was collected from 119 IT and information security executives. Results show that how the organization structures information security activities is not correlated with more effective utilization of information security strategies. Meanwhile, the organization's information security posture is significantly correlated with more effective utilization of information security strategies. The implications of this research is discussed